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“Down the Yukon,” by Will Hobbs continues the Yukon experiences of Jason Hawthorn.

Jason is happy to have merely made it to the Yukon alive, and although he didn’t strike it rich, he at least has his brothers and their successful family business to support them.However, disaster strikes when Jason’s older brother gets involved with gambling and loses their sawmill in a game of chance.There is only one way to buy the sawmill back: by winning the upcoming race from Dawson City to Nome, 1700 miles away.

Jason and Jamie Dunavant, the girl he loves, set off on a race that will take them through the beauty and the danger of the upper Yukon.With two dangerous rivals and numerous disasters, Jason and Jamie must struggle hard to make it to the finish line at all, much less in first place.

I thoroughly enjoyed “Down the Yukon.”Jason and Jamie are memorable characters whose adventures will not disappoint any reader who is looking for excitement.Will Hobb’s story is admirable both for its style and its historical theme.

“North” by Alan Zweibel is a novel with a great cover but disappointing content.

The main character is young North, a kid who’s qualities should make anyone appreciate him. But his parents never notice his good grades, great batting average, etc. North feels that his parents don’t deserve him, so he goes to court and wins “free agency.” North then embarks on a ridiculous search for the “perfect” parents.

“North” does not offer a quality reading experience. It’s has an exaggerated quality that gives it the feeling of a cheap movie, and the book’s plot is lacking in both substance and delivery. If you want to read something that is interesting and worthwhile, then “North” is not the book for you.

“A Day No Pigs Would Die,” by Robert Newton Peck is a moving coming-of-age story, based on Peck’s own life.

At the surface, the novel is merely the story of a young Shaker boy and his pet pig, but Peck’s unique voice gives the novel poignant charm and emotional power.The Shaker wisdom, quiet humor, and deep personalities found in the book mesh together precisely, drawing the reader in so that he or she can understand the feelings and thoughts of the characters.

The four lines of poetry at the beginning of the text wonderfully summarize the entire point of the story:

A farmer’s heart is rabbit soft,And farmer eyes are blue.But farmers’ eyes are eagle fierceAnd look a man right through.

“A Day No Pigs Would Die,” is also one of the saddest books I have ever read.Peck’s novel is no happy-ending fairytale, but a realistic story whose touching ending is not easily forgotten.

If you haven‘t yet read “A Day No Pigs Would Die,” then you’re missing a classic story that you simply must read.

“Pieces of Georgia,” by Jen Bryant is a unique journal style novel written in the voice of a thirteen year old girl.

Georgia McCoy is an aspiring artist, striving to follow in the footsteps of her mother, who died six years ago of pneumonia. Although Georgia is very good at art she struggles in the other subjects at school, and her shy personality gives her an outcast status among the other kids at school.

When the high school counselor gives Georgia a blank journal, and encourages her to write in it every day, she has no idea what to fill it with. But then an anonymous person sends her a gift membership to the local Brandywine Art Museum. Through studying the works of art there Georgia comes to learn more about art, and gradually, more about herself as well.

“Pieces of Georgia” has a writing style that makes it truly unique. The lines of text in the book are broken into a lyrical, prose poetry style that well suits the voice of its shy and lonely character. Bryant also does an excellent job of capturing human characteristics and emotions. I really enjoyed reading “Pieces of Georgia” and I would recommend it as a meaningful and powerful book for your own reading enjoyment.

"Two Write Hands (and two left feet)" is a pleasant, writing oriented site that features short flash fiction pieces and general commentary on the author's life.

Overall, the site has a great theme and interesting comment. I have enjoyed reading the excellent pieces that are periodically posted on Two Write Hands, but its sometimes difficult to navigate the site. Since there isn't a tag list on the main page I found myself forced to search through posts by date. But there were plenty of shining jewels among the posts to keep my interest. For example, I've selected a two of my favorites:

Two Write Hands has a clean, easy to read theme, and a great logo picture at the top of blog. The blog content is not overshadowed by voluminous amounts of advertising either, and that is something I always appreciate.

“Jason‘s Gold,” by Will Hobbs is the first of two books about Jason Hawthorn’s adventures in the Yukon.

The story is set in 1897.Gold has just been discovered in Alaska, and Jason Hawthorn is eager to get in on the gold rush.However, he soon finds that getting to the goldfields isn’t as easy as he had first thought.Since he has no money he stows away on a ship bound for the Yukon, but the journey involves more than riding a boat.Jason must hike the legendary trails that the Yukon gold rush made famous.Author Will Hobbs shows us Dead Horse Trail and Chilkoot Pass, from the ground up.

There is no end of excitement and adventure in “Jason‘s Gold.”I would recommend this book both as a historical masterpiece, and as a wonderful adventure.The story is well-researched, the characters memorable, and the action non-stop.

“Ali and the Golden Eagle,” by Wayne Grover is an interesting novel based on the authors real life experiences in the remote highlands of Saudi Arabia.

Most of the story takes place in remote village at the bottom of a massive canyon.Separated from the outside world for decades, the villagers are intrigued when the main character rappels down the cliff and visits them.

This first visit, though, leads to a friendship.The villagers show Grover their unique skill with birds of prey, which they use for hunting.Soon, Grover is involved in a plan to capture and tame the grandest bird of all: a golden eagle.After Grover gets a eagle chick, the son of the village chief, Ali, works to train it as a hunting bird.

As the eagle is trained, its power and skill expose the small village to the eyes of the outside world.“Ali and the Golden Eagle,” focus not only on the story of a small boy and a large bird, but also on the changes that occur as the villagers start to learn about modern technology and the wonders of the outside world.

All considered, “Ali and the Golden Eagle,” has an interesting plot.Grover’s writing could hardly be considered exceptional, but it can still serve as adequate entertainment.

This book is now out of print. You may still be able to find a used copy, however.

“Stuart Little,” by E.B. White is a classic children’s tale that was first copyrighted in 1945.

The introduction to “Stuart Little” immediately captures the reader’s attention:

“When Mrs. Frederick C. Little’s second son arrived, everybody noticed that he was not much bigger than a mouse. The truth of the matter was, the baby looked very much like a mouse in every way. He was only about two inches high; and he had a mouse’s sharp nose, and mouse’s tail, a mouse’s whiskers, and the pleasant, shy manner of a mouse. Before he was many days old he was not only looking like a mouse, but acting like one, too-wearing a gray hat and carrying a small cane.”

The story tells of Stuart’s adventures as a small mouse in a large world.Sailing a model boat, accidentally being taken out in the rubbish, working as a substitute teacher - Stuart’s life is full of experiences that make an interesting story.

The only thing that I have never like about “Stuart Little” is its ending.Unlike E.B. White’s other children’s stories, “Stuart Little” lacks a satisfying conclusion.Stuart is left forever traveling in search of a bird who was his friend.

E.B. White does an excellent job of developing Stuart in the beginning: as a carefree, studious young mouse who leads an active and interesting life style.But as the story progresses, Stuart’s character changes, until he is left as a slightly sad and morose character, wronged by the world and separated by his size.

All in all, “Stuart Little” is a book that has stood the test of time, remaining popular for over fifty years.I would recommend it as a worthy addition to any book collection.

“Gone-Away Lake,” by Elizabeth Enright is a classic Newberry Honor novel about the experiences of two young people who spend a summer in the country.

It all starts when Portia and her cousin Julian stumble across a unique place called Gone-Away Lake.Once it had been a lakeside colony of summer homes, but years ago the lake dried up and now damaged and abandoned houses sit at the edge of a large swamp.But the homes aren’t completely deserted.Portia and Julian meet two extraordinary people who live in this mysterious place.

“Gone-Away Lake,” is full of interesting tales and adventures.It portrays the experiences of the two young people as they explore the swamp and abandoned homes, while at the same time retelling stories from the time when Gone-Away was still a bustling summer colony.

Elizabeth Enright’s novel is a peaceful and enjoyable as a summer vacation, and her characters are memorable and well-designed.I would recommend this classic novel to any literature lover.

“Perloo the Bold” by Avi is a entertaining fantasy novel that teaches a lesson about the responsibility of being a leader.

The main character is Perloo, a shy Montmer scholar.The Montmer’s are rabbit-like creatures with long feet that they use to ski the slopes of their wintery world.Perloo has always liked to be alone in the company of his books.But his life must change when he is summoned to meet the Montmer leader.

Perloo is shocked when the dying leader names him as her successor.Treachery and deceit soon result, and a confused and reluctant Perloo is faced with power-hungry rivals, a torn proclamation, an escape through the snow.

Perloo is more than willing to give up his position as a leader to someone else, but when the rebel leader who took his place begins a war with a neighboring tribe, Perloo decides to accept his responsibility and make decisions that will repair the damage done.

The novel is full of the colorful personalities and subtle detail that Avi makes use of so well.“Perloo the Bold” is a book that I would definitely recommend as an entertaining and worthwhile read.

“The Third Jungle Book,” by Pamela Jekel is a satisfying continuation of Kipling’s Jungle Book stories.

Jekel skillfully recreates Rudyard Kipling’s style, even down to subtle details such as punctuation.I was very satisfied by the way she elaborated on some events that Kipling mentions in his original stories but does not explain.“The Third Jungle Book” has the same general mood and the same focus on Jungle Law that the original Jungle Book stories focused on.

The only thing that I found disappointing about “The Third Jungle Book” was the poems at the beginning and end of each story.Jekel has very adequately recreated Kipling’s prose, but her poetic style is lacking.Rudyard’s poems have a particular lilt and rhyming style all his own, and Jekel’s poetic style is flat and lifeless in comparison.However, this is not a fatal flaw, for the poems are very short in comparison to the stories.

I would recommend “The Third Jungle Book” to anyone who has enjoyed Kipling’s original Jungle Book Stories.Overall, it makes for a fine read that I’m sure Kipling himself would have enjoyed.

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